


The King's First Friend

by MajesticAnna



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, slight spoilers for chap 387
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25287136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajesticAnna/pseuds/MajesticAnna
Summary: A bike smacks into Tobio, toppling him to the ground.Tobio lies on the pavement, the breath lost from his lungs. He stares up at the sky, the sun blinding his eyes.Or, he thought it was the sun.It turns out to be a short redheaded boy who is screaming at him, which is not much different.+++Tobio is late walking home from school, and ends up making a friend.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 18
Kudos: 111
Collections: HQ Mini Bang, Haikyuu best fics vluv99





	The King's First Friend

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the HQ Mini Bang. The theme for the bang was Memories, so you can see a few nods to early HQ moments in the fic. Shoutout to my artists vic ([twitter](https://twitter.com/kirikags), [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirikags/pseuds/kirikags)) and journey ([tumblr](https://journey505.tumblr.com/), ([twitter](https://twitter.com/journey505)). I'll link their pieces when they post!
> 
> Thank you to the understanding mods for organizing this project, I'm happy to have taken part!
> 
> Slight spoilers are only if you don't want to know Kageyama's family members. This is a childhood friends au where the Little Giant incident happens earlier, and Tobio meets Hinata a few years before secondary school. Hope you enjoy!

Miwa quits volleyball.

This doesn't surprise Tobio; Miwa had long stopped attending Kazuyo and Tobio’s training sessions, no longer running up the hill, a race to the top filled with adrenaline and competition. 

It’s fine. Tobio misses Miwa, but as long as he has gramps to run beside, he’ll be okay.

Tobio got pocket money from Kazuyo this week, so his walk home takes longer, sipping his milk in one hand and holding a volleyball in the other. 

His volleyball coach gave him a new instructional book to teach him how to pinpoint a ball to a spiker. Normally, Tobio doesn’t like to read, but if it’s for volleyball, he finds himself itching with curiosity. He wishes he could read the book for his at-home schoolwork, but his lit teacher just scrunched her face when he asked her.

Tobio wishes there was an instructional book on how to make friends. There probably is, but he doesn’t know how to find it. He didn’t pay attention when his teacher explained how to look up a book for reference, and it’s too weird to ask now.

He tried to befriend his club teammates, but that didn’t work too well. Tobio doesn’t have many interests outside of volleyball. Anything he likes outside of it, like nail maintenance or reading, has to do with volleyball in some way. He’s probably ‘obsessed’, like the kids at school say, but volleyball is fun to Tobio. He wants to spend all his time on it.

Maybe he should give up on his friend quest. Tobio isn’t that good at talking anyways, and when he does talk, the topic turns to volleyball.

His friends—or teammates—always gave him twitchy looks when Tobio talked about volleyball, looks which often made Tobio squirm in his stomach. His coach often mentioned how talented Tobio was, but that he needed to work on how he talked with others.

Tobio tried. He just… didn’t get it.

He looked in the mirror once, to practice a smile. Miwa said sharing a smile can make others smile and feel happy, and when people are happy, they can be your friend. 

When Tobio tried to lift the corners of his mouth, his face twitched uncomfortably. When he did manage a smile, his teeth looked like they would chomp on the next person to pass by him.

He didn’t try it with any potential friends.

So when Tobio walks home, he is alone. He has his milk and volleyball and books in his pack, his footsteps echoing his steady pace to his house.

Tobio thinks about asking Kazuyo how to make a friend. His grandfather might have some information to help. Then: he’s not thinking anything at all.

A bike smacks into Tobio, toppling him to the ground.

Tobio lies on the pavement, the breath lost from his lungs. He stares up at the sky, the sun blinding his eyes. 

Or, he thought it was the sun.

It turns out to be a short redheaded boy who is screaming at him, which is not much different.

“Are you okay?!”

Tobio nods his head. 

“Oh my god!” The boy slaps his hands to his face. “I hit you so hard you can’t talk! My mom is gonna kill me!”

For some reason, irritation washes into Tobio’s words. “You didn’t hit me that hard.”

“Oh.” The boy lowers his hands. “Then, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I nodded my head.”

The boy takes this into consideration. And then nods his own head. “I guess you’re right.” He leans over Tobio. “ Want a hand up?”

Tobio takes his hand and when he stands, he realizes he is a few inches taller than the boy. His inner competitor crows with delight. 

Flicking his eyes to the ground, Tobio frowns. He dropped his milk. The carton is empty when he picks it up, contents spilt on the pavement.

“I’m sorry for hitting you.” The boy leans down to help collect the items scattered around Tobio’s school bag. Tobio doesn’t feel a need to respond, he just continues to look for his volleyball. He spots it near the streetlamp, having rolled a bit further away. 

“Is this yours?”

The redheaded boy picks up Tobio’s ball before he is able to reach it. The boy is fast, if small, and his eyes light up as he holds the ball in his hands. 

“Wow! Do you play volleyball?”

“Yes.” Tobio flexes his fingers, willing himself to hold back. If he starts talking about volleyball, he’s not sure he’ll stop. 

“That’s amazing! I’ve been wanting to try volleyball!” The boy tosses the ball from hand to hand. “Would you teach me?”

Tobio blinks. No one his age has asked for his help before. “You want to learn how to play volleyball?”

“Yeah!” The boy jumps and whoops. “I wanna go like shhhwa and wap when I hit the ball!”

“Idiot.” Tobio scoffs. “That’s not all there is to volleyball!” He smacks his hands over his mouth. But he can’t take back the words. Of course, Tobio has already messed this up.

“Hey!” The boy says. “I know that!”

Tobio watches him. The boy doesn’t seem to be running away so… “What do you know about volleyball?”

“Ummmmm…” The boy taps his cheek. “I… uh… they—they hit the ball upwards, over a net!”

“Okay,” Tobio says. He grabs the rest of his things, placing them in his bag. He walks away. 

“D-Do you want your ball back?” The boy asks. He hasn’t moved from his spot, still holding the ball, standing beside his toppled bike.

“Do you want to learn volleyball?”

“Yes!”

“Then, come on.” Tobio motions down the road. “You have a lot to learn.”

The boy grins, picks up his bike, and runs after Tobio, the pair a bright beam in the sunlight.

+++

Tobio learns the boy’s name is Hinata Shouyou, which is fitting. He’s loud and bright, yelling all the time and zooming super fast when he runs around the court. He always voices his opinion, whining that Tobio is too demanding, and proclaiming a sworn declaration; his tiny fists raised to the sky, he yells that Tobio can’t remain the best at volleyball forever: Hinata will catch up to him.

Tobio finds him annoying. And yet, he is also his only friend.

He tells Kazuyo about Hinata, and his grandfather says he’s really proud Tobio stepped out of his comfort zone to make a friend. Tobio decides not to mention that they met because Hinata literally crashed into him. 

Most days, Tobio can’t train with Hinata. His new friend joins as many training sessions as he can, with him, Kazuyo, and the municipal team. But Hinata has ‘other sports’ with practices that he is unable to drop until next season.

“Are you sure you want to keep up with volleyball?” Tobio asks, one day.

“Of course!” Hinata says. He pounds the ball against the ground, and then begins his spiking practice. It’s one of Hinata’s favorite drills, Tobio notices. Kazuyo lets Hinata and Tobio practice along the sides of the gym during the older municipal practices, so the boys use that to their advantage. “I want to be the best at volleyball. Other sports are cool and all, but I think volleyball is the best.”

Warmth curls up in Tobio’s heart. He pushes it down. “You’re going to have to practice a lot more to be the best.”

“Oh yeah?” Hinata says. He stops his practice for a second, capturing the ball and allowing a glint of his fire into his eyes. 

“At least, if you want to beat me some day.” Tobio smirks.

Hinata sticks his tongue out at him. “You can only hold onto your crown for now, King.”

This nickname is new, and one Hinata has bestowed on Tobio for being a ‘demanding ruler’; Tobio sighs when he calls him ‘King’, but secretly, he likes it. The only nickname he’s had before is ‘blueberry’, one Miwa called him all the time when he was a toddler. 

Tobio turns to Hinata.“Maybe you should stop talking and start practicing your receives.”

“Want to spike them for me?” 

“I’ll hit so long you’ll puke.”

+++

Tobio didn’t mean to make good on his promise, but Hinata is stubborn. As soon as Tobio sets to Hinata in the final rally, Hinata’s eyes glimmer with determination, to try one more time. He plants his feet to the ground and jumps, high, his fingertips trailing against the sky. He slams the ball into the floor, the smack echoing in the empty gym.

It’s only a little while later that Hinata upends his stomach. Tobio grabs him a water bottle and towel.

They’re young. They’re inexperienced. But Tobio is optimistic.

With Hinata, Tobio knows they’ll reach the greatest heights.

+++

Months pass while Hinata and Tobio practice volleyball. They move into the next school year, and suddenly, Hinata has a lot more time for the sessions with Tobio. He starts to stay for longer, playing rounds with Tobio in the gym.

Hinata doesn’t always know his limits.

“Idiot, you need to take more breaks.” Tobio hits a water bottle over his friend’s head. Hinata lies on the ground, exhausted after overdoing his drills… again. Tobio is tired too, but he stopped long before Hinata collapsed to the ground. Hinata has a vast tank of energy, yet it can run dry if not taken care of properly. 

“I can’t.” Hinata swats the hanging bottle away. Tobio drags his friend into a sitting position, holding the bottle to his face again, which makes Hinata roll his eyes. Despite his many protests, he sips at the bottle. When he finishes a long swig, Hinata wipes his mouth with his hand. “I’m late.”

“Late?” Tobio asks. He checks the time on the clock in the gym. “I thought you said you didn’t have anything to do tonight.”

“No, Kageyama.” Hinata swipes at Tobio’s arm and Tobio pushes back. “I’m behind in practicing volleyball. I have to keep working if I want to have amazing skills like yours.”

“I didn’t get good overnight,” Tobio says. “Kazuyo-san says strength is built step by step. Instead of pushing yourself too hard, maybe you should try to do your best for now. In the next practice, maybe you’ll be able to push past it.”

“You’ll still be so far ahead!” Hinata exclaims, waving the bottle around.

Tobio thinks this over. Finally, he decides on: “I’ll wait.”

“You’ll… wait?”

“Even if it takes you 5, or 10, or 15 years, I’ll wait for you.” Tobio says. “Because I know you’ll make it there.”

Wiping the sweat from his face, Hinata says, voice groggy: “To the top?”

“To the top.” Tobio stands and throws a towel at Hinata’s head. “Now, get up, I’m going to make Kazuyo-san talk to you about taking care of yourself.”

“Fine.”

Tobio offers his hand forward, and Hinata takes it, jumping up.

He clicks his tongue. “You and your stamina.”

“Well, I have to keep working if I want to get better!” Hinata says.

Tobio raises an eyebrow.

“And take breaks, too!”

Later, Kazuyo gives Hinata his own talk about self care, and gifts a nail kit set to the boy, after a demonstration of how to use each tool. Tobio waves to Hinata as he leaves, holding Kazuyo’s list of websites to look up when he gets home.

“That was kind of you, Tobio,” Kazuyo says as he closes the door. 

“He’s my friend.” It’s pretty simple to Tobio. Friends help each other out.

Kazuyo laughs. “He certainly is.”

+++ 

Hinata joins Tobio’s local volleyball team. As he laces up his shoes at their first practice, Hinata tells Tobio how hard it had been to convince his mom to let him join, as she wanted him to join a closer team.

“I told okaasan ‘I have to be with ‘YamaYama! He gives the best tosses!’” Hinata sticks his tongue out as he bunny-ears his laces. “She finally let me join when Kazuyo-san said he’d message her when I left practice, and drive me home if it rains too hard.”

Tobio feels the now-familiar warmth blossom in his stomach again. He often gets this feeling whenever Hinata compliments him or sprints halfway across the court for an amazing play. He keeps the feeling tucked close to his heart, protecting it from any harm.

Hinata is his friend. And he thinks Tobio has cool tosses!

Tobio feels his mouth twitch at the edges, but not in a bad way. It kinda feels nice.

Hinata finishes tying his shoes, a spring in his step. “Are you ready for our first practice?”

“Yes.”

“Were you smiling just now?”

Tobio doesn’t bother with a response, opening the gym door. “Let’s go.”

Hinata eyes him, but walks into the room anyway.

Practice is a lot of fun. Hinata gets along with all of his new teammates, which doesn’t surprise Tobio. Hinata can befriend anyone without trying. Even though Hinata is newer to the sport, his enthusiasm for the drills and practice matches is infectious, spreading through the team. He even laughs when he botches a receive and the ball hits his face, which makes the others laugh too.

Hinata is nice to everyone when they speak with him, talking fast and bright to anyone who will listen. Tobio spends the time during water breaks doing what he normally does, which is sitting further from his team and passing the ball between his hands.

“Can I sit with you?”

Tobio glances upward to see a sweaty Hinata in front of him. He levels a gaze at Hinata that says ‘yes, idiot’ and Hinata smiles brightly, sitting his body down on the ground like he owns the place and gulping down his water.

Tobio continues to pass the ball between his hands.

“Why are you sitting way over here?” Hinata asks. 

Tobio blushes, and mumbles a response. 

“What was that?” Hinata says, leaning towards him.

“I said, ‘I don’t really get along with our teammates’, idiot.” Tobio pushes Hinata away, ignoring the embarrassment crawling up his cheeks.   
  
“Really?” Hinata says. He turns towards the other side of the gym, where their teammates are goofing around. “Huh.”

“What.” 

Hinata scratches his head. “I just don’t get why it would be hard to get along with you. You’re easy to talk to.”

“Why do you say that?” Tobio asks.

“You like to talk about volleyball, and volleyball is very interesting, and you know a lot about it!” Hinata says. 

“I think they think I’m weird because I only want to talk about volleyball…” Tobio trails off, softly. He passes the ball between his fingertips.

“Hmm.” Hinata takes this into consideration. “Then maybe, you just need to find other kids who love volleyball as much as you do.” He nods in affirmation. “Luckily, you’ve already met me. There has to be others like us out there!”

Tobio huffs, almost a laugh. “You make it sound easy.” 

“It is easy!” Hinata pumps a fist in the air. “One day, we’ll be really good at volleyball, up on the world stage, together with a bunch of other people who love volleyball!”

Tobio feels his heart squeeze. “I’d like that.”

“Then don’t sit around here!” Hinata jumps up and drags Tobio after him. “We have to practice to get better!”

Tobio lets himself be dragged by Hinata, and his mouth wobbles a little upwards.

Maybe making a friend is easy, after all. As long as that friend has a bike to crash into you.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Christie for always being a wonderful beta reader <3 I might continue this AU one day but not for a long while, as I have other fics to work on. 
> 
> Thank you for your support!
> 
> twitter: [@majesticdeku](https://twitter.com/majesticdeku)  
> tumblr: [majesticanna](https://majesticanna.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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